Journey to Psitharis

Chapter 26

Twenty-six

I didn't want to let go. It had been so long since I felt the warmth of my grandfather, smelled the scent of his aftershave and rested my head on his shoulder. Here was my white knight once again, the one person who defended me when I had no one else to look to, and I had him back at last. My fiercest protector in the flesh; well, in the flesh in this world I created. Tears were soaking the front of his shirt; but my granddad, enduring as ever, didn't budge. I took every precious moment and committed it to my bruised and aching heart, hanging on for dear life and refusing to be parted from his embrace. Time was stealing away from us, and I was afraid of waking up and losing this moment. Now that I had him I wanted to talk to him, to ask him so many questions. Why was he here? Where was "here" exactly? How in the hell did I manage to survive without him this far?

I stepped back to look at him; he was just the way I remembered him. His blue eyes were warm and welcoming, his smile was comforting. His lips curled in, the way they always did, thanks to years of wearing dentures. I looked over every single detail, putting it to memory so when I was conscious, I wouldn't lose it. "Grandpa, what are you doing here?" I asked, so elated to see him it was the only question I could think to ask.

He put his hand on my cheek; it was calloused from years of hard work, but it was so warm. A tear streamed down my cheek and ran down his finger. He reached over and wiped my face, drying my red and swollen face. "My girl, this is where you put me."

My eyebrow shot up in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean 'I put you here?' I don't understand."

Grandpa put his arm around my shoulders. He led me down a small path that ended at an ancient wooden door, which turned out to be the door to a log cabin. It was his dream home. He used to talk endlessly about retiring to the woods and buying a log cabin when I was little. And now he was living in a log cabin in my mind. "I've been here for quite some time. As a matter of fact, everything you loved and cherished wound up here, so the bad things that took over wouldn't destroy them. It's a safe place for all of your happy memories, for the things you loved most. Nothing can invade here. Nothing can destroy this place. And you're the only one who can open the door."

It made perfect sense. All the memories I treasured, all the moments I wanted to protect from the invading army, my mom and sister's royal clones, I put in a distant place, in a nirvana that was impenetrable. And now I had stumbled upon this piece of protected paradise once again. And I decided that this was the part of Psitharis I would dream about from now on. All the rest of that crap I had left behind me could stay behind me, could turn to rot for all I cared.

As if he read my mind, Grandpa shook his head. "It's not going to be as simple as that, Medora. You know that. Come on, we'll talk inside."

I sat down in a large, comfortable chair near the fireplace. The warmth coming from the embers in the hearth made me feel completely warm and safe, for the first time since I first reentered Psitharis. Grandpa brought two mugs from the kitchen. I took cautious sips of my hot chocolate, but it was the perfect temperature, just like it always was when Grandpa brought me hot chocolate as a child. I relaxed, sitting back and closing my eyes for a moment.

"Medora, you know we need to talk about a few things." I heard my Grandpa say. I opened my eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm still a little confused as to why I'm back here in the first place, not to mention what you're doing here."

Grandpa chuckled. "I'm here because you love me. You wanted to protect me, protect my memory. So you put me here. The queen and her daughter are incapable of finding this place, much less laying siege to it. And if they or their soldiers ever did wander this far out, they'd stop at the empty field. The Midnight Forest has seen to that. No light, except for the light provided by the beings you created, can light this forest. Several regiments have tried, but they are all afraid to venture any further than that."